Support for electric conductors



J1me 1949- A. H. STEVENS ET AL ,473,264

SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed May 15, 1946 \nnnnnnnnnnnnnvAr'Hwr H g s'i'evens Gedfimg Ar-khur Shvcns INVEN TOR 5 1M ATTORNEY.

Patented June 14, 1 949 SUPPORT FOR EEECTRIU CONDUGTORS A rt-liur HarryStevens and- Geoffrey Arthur Stevens, Wednesbury, Englandlassignors to Ilie Power Centre Company Limited, Wednesbury,

England Applicationi-Mayi'm, 1946;, Serial N 0,669,760 In Great BritainMay- 30; 1945 1 Claim. 1;:

This invention relates tosupports' rorelectric' conductors such as busbars and cables. Such supports are usually made of insulating materialand comprise two main members which can be drawn together to grip theconductor which passes between them. Owing to the fact that a number ofdifferent cross-sectional shapes are employed for the conductors, andalso a large range of different sizes, it has hitherto been necessary tomake a large range of insulating supports with the conductor-grippingparts of different shapes and sizes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a support for electricconductors which can be used for a number of different cross-sectionalshapes of conductors and a number of different slzes.

A support constructed in accordance with the present invention comprisestwo members which can be secured to a suitable support and which can bedrawn together to grip a conductor which passes between them, thegripping surface of one or both members being shaped to provide a slot,the inner portion of which is of substantially rectangular section andthe outer portion of which provides two diverging surfaces. The twomembers provide opposed gripping surfaces suitable for conductors ofrectangular, square or circular section.

The surfaces of one of the two members adjacent the open ends of theslots may be stepped or shouldered, the steps or shoulders being adaptedto engage opposite edges of conductors of rectangular section.

One member may be formed as a block of insulating material and the othermember may be formed as a cap of insulating material adapted to be drawnby screws onto the top of the block, and the cap may have portions ofchannel section, the sides of the channels engaging over opposite endfaces of the block so that the shanks of the screws are completelyshrouded or enclosed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing three of the supportsmounted on a suitable bracket;

Figure 2 is a sectional view in front elevation showing one of thesupports; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the two main parts separately;Figures 2 and 3 being drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1.

In the construction illustrated the block I'll may be produced as amoulding of porcelain,

synthetic resin or other insulating material, and

it is provided with two end portions II in each of which is a cavity l2of square, hexagonalo'r' other nonacircular section forreceiving a nut"I 3, and the arrangementissuch that the block can be secured to asuitable support M by screws l-5 passed through the support and into theend portions of the block and into the nuts l3.

The cap member [6 at its ends I! is of channel section, and the sides ofthese channels engage over and slide upon the sides of the end portionsll of the block. The cap member is provided with screw holes [8 at thetop so that screws I9 may be passed through it and downwardly into theupper ends of the nuts l3.

The gripping portions of the two members are somewhat longer than thedistance between the faces 20 of the main portions of the two members sothat they project from opposite faces thereof. Each of the grippingportions is provided with a slot 2 l, the inner portion of which isapproximately of square or other rectangular section, and the outerportion of which provides two diverging surfaces 23 which are at anobtuse angle, or may be approximately at right-angles to each other.

The underside of the cap may be stepped upwardly at 24 on either side ofthe slot, and the upper side of the gripping portion of the block orlower member may be similarly stepped at 25.

The insulating support thus constructed is suitable for grippingcircular-section conductors between the four diverging surfaces of thegripping portions, and it is also suitable for gripping conductors ofrectangular section with the major dimension either horizontal orvertical, as shown in Figure 1. Such conductors may also be of varyingwidths.

When the appliance is used to grip a square conductor, this may beplaced with the diagonals of its section vertical and horizontal so thatthe conductor is gripped by the diverging surfaces 23. For conductors ofrectangular section but varying thicknesses, packing pieces may be usedbetween one side of the conductor and one side of the gripping surfaceof the support.

The support may be of course made in a range of sizes, and a singlesupport may be constructed with two or more pairs of gripping surfacesfor supporting and gripping a plurality of conductors.

What we claim then is:

A support for electric conductors comprising a block and a cap formingconductor-gripping members, the block having end portions in each ofwhich i a cavity, the cap having end por- 3 tions of channel form thesides of the channels engaging the outer surfaces of the sides of theend portions of the block, a nut housed in each said cavity, screwsextending through the end portions of said block and engaging one end ofeach nut, and further screws extending through the end portions of saidcap and engaging the 0P- posite end of each nut, said block and said caphaving conductor engaging surfaces, the conductor engaging surface ofsaid block being formed as a substantially rectangular slot the outersides of which form two diverging surfaces whose outer edges terminatein upwardly directed rightangle steps, the conductor-engaging surfacesof the cap being formed as a substantially rectangular slot the outersides of which form two diverging surfaces whose outer edges terminatein right-angle shoulders adapted to fit within the aforementioned stepswhereby conductors of different sizes and cross-section may bepositively located between the cap and the block, and may be positivelylocated during assembly of said support.

ARTHUR HARRY STEVENS. GEOFFREY ARTHUR STEVENS.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,582,850 Miner Apr. 2'7, 19261,896,921 Smith Feb. '7, 1933 19 2,059,988 Frank Nov. 3, 1936 2,263,211Harvey et a1. Nov. 18, 1941 2,425,935 Hayman Aug. 19, 1947 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 335,221 Great Britain Sept. 19, 1930 670,390Germany Jan. 18, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES p Electrical Development andMachine Co. Bulletin #1350 (pages 1 and 2) March 1917.

